The Chase Is On!
by Lilithxfic
Summary: A puzzle filled with clues was left for Sherlock. This puzzle led him and John to a very unexpected thief. It was an invitation to a chase...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - I don't own the show or the characters or any other shows, movies, games mentioned here.**

**Summary: A puzzle filled with clues. Clues that were left there on purpose. Clues that led Sherlock and John to a very unexpected thief. **

So, it's been forever since I last posted here. Life got so busy after college. I had less time to dedicate to writing but I never stopped. I did miss posting my fics here so much. I hope you all enjoy this new story and I'm opened to reviews, opinions, suggestions so don't be shy!

**Title: The Chase Is On!**

**Introduction:**

_We allow this wonderful experience called life to become small and dull when we start believing other people's opinions about ourselves, when we let others or the society define who we are. We lose our essence and lose the ability to see beyond. By trying to fit in, we miss an opportunity to be all we can be. Most people live a limited reality, almost as if they lived locked inside a small cell where those four walls represent everything they've ever known. The tiny window from this cell is like a glimpse we all have sometimes of all the other possibilities. _

_What does being different mean? Does it mean doing things others don't do? What I do is not magic and is not out of this world. Except that I don't just look through the window. I'm on the outside of those four walls. _

_Most people see, but they don't observe. They are afraid to break free from their cells and see what I see. _

**221B Baker Street – Chapter 1 - A morning like any other.**

It was a regular morning for Sherlock and John. After waking up to the wonderful smell of tea Mrs. Hudson had brought early, which Sherlock imagined magically materialized, the pair of detectives were sitting on their chairs as clients came in with their stories. Thanks to John's blog, that was far more readable than Sherlock's, written in a way people could relate and connect. After the blog they always had clients of all ages, with all kinds of stories you could possibly imagine.

"Tell us everything". – Said Sherlock placing his hands under his chin.

A well-dressed man, with expensive suit, expensive tie, expensive shoes and expensive briefcase was sitting on the chair between Sherlock and John. Sherlock had already looked the man from head to toe, adding his personal observations to his mind palace where nothing was ever forgotten. Except of course if the information was boring or unnecessary according to his own specifications.

"I met my wife some years ago at a coffee shop. My God she was, actually she is absolutely gorgeous. She has this wonderful smile…."

"Yeah yeah yeah, that's wonderful. Go straight to the point. Why are you here?" – That was Sherlock cutting the man off. His thoughts already running in his head a thousand miles per hour and his body was itching to get started with an investigation.

John rolled his eyes, but that was actually a normal reaction.

The man looked at John as if he was asking if he should go on or not. John nodded.

"Ok. We've been married for three years now and I realized I know very little about my wife's profession. She works till late at night and works more than me, comes home bringing dinner every night, with her hair looking perfect, smelling great, she has these meetings that happen too early in the morning or too late at night".

The man stopped his speech for a second and took a deep breath.

"I know what I'm about to say is gonna sound crazy. But this is too similar to that movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith? - Mr. Holmes, I think my wife is an agent!". – The guy concluded his speech with eyes wide open and difficulties to breathe, he was clearly shocked.

Sherlock let out a sigh and looked at the desperate man.

"No, she isn't. You're just an idiot with no self-confidence. I take you hardly ever had a chance to date pretty girls when you were at school and even after that. Thus it's hard for you to believe you were able to marry a woman that not only is beautiful, but also loving and successful, I understand your disbelief. The fact she comes home late at night smelling good is because she probably works for a big company with important people and that demands a good appearance all the time. Also is not strange at all that a woman carries make up, comb and perfume inside her purse. Also we have 24/7 restaurants in London, so bringing dinner home late at night is no trouble at all. Furthermore I figure she works for a multinational company. They usually have business with other countries like China, where the time is completely different from London. That could demand early or late meetings to please the client, respecting working hours from their country as well. There. You just watch too much TV. Boring".

Of course Sherlock had observed all those little but important details in seconds. John didn't even argue for he knew how Sherlock worked.

And other clients came that morning…

"Mr. Holmes, I think…." – A woman started.

"No, you don't. Boring. Next".

It's amazing how people's body language, clothes, accessories and other aspects could say so much more about a person than their own words.

"Have you checked your inbox Sherlock? Maybe something interesting there". – John suggested as he picked up the paper and started browsing through it.

… 5 minutes later …

"Boring, predictable, boring. Humm that could turn into something interesting. Maybe not. Boring".

John scoffed lowering his paper. "Let me check that". – John took the computer from Sherlock's hands.

"It's pointless John". – Sherlock said throwing himself on his chair.

The doorbell rang.

_'__Thank God'. _– John thought. _'Client'_

A girl who seemed to be in her twenties sat on the chair. She was wearing ripped jeans and a black t shirt, cheap dirty tennis shoes and messy black hair. Her eyes seemed distant and she had trouble to focus. Her mother was standing beside her looking extremely worried. It seems like she had cried before going to baker street.

"Are you alright?" – John asked the young girl. As a doctor he knew something was off.

"Please Mr. Holmes. She used to be a normal girl. Now she's having these visions. She speaks weird. I think she has been possessed by a ghost! We've gone to faith healers and other places, but no one seems to be able to help. I don't know what to do. I just want my little girl back". – The mother barely was able to speak as she started crying.

John took the box with tissue and handed to the woman.

Sherlock opened his mouth to speak but John immediately cut him off.

"I'm sorry, can I talk to you for a second Sherlock?" – John said.

Sherlock looked at him confused.

"Not now, we have a client".

"Right now, please". – John looked at the woman. "I'm sorry madam. We'll be back in a minute".

Both walked to the corner of the room, where they could talk without being heard.

"What is it?" – Sherlock asked shrugging.

"Let me talk to the woman". – John said assertively.

"Why?"

"Because the girl is clearly on drugs. She is high right now and this mother is totally unaware that her little girl is not an innocent child anymore".

"Yes, clearly". – Sherlock said as he finally understood why John was doing that. He wanted to GENTLY tell the woman about it.

"Oh. You just assume I will be rude?"

John just raised his eyebrows.

"Fine. You tell her". – Sherlock agreed finally.

** …**

And a few more came that morning. No one with something puzzling enough.

With nothing to do, Sherlock decided to update his own blog adding information no one cared about and it was interesting to no one but himself.

John was updating his own blog when his phone rang.

"John Watson". He listened carefully to the person on the other end. "Ok, where? We're on our way".

"Lestrade?" – Sherlock's eyes shone in anticipation with the possibilities of that phone call.

"Yeah. Jewelry store robbed. The person left you a little puzzle".

Sherlock looked at John with a smile. Finally something interesting.

They took a cab and rushed to the crime scene.

**Jewelry Store – 11:30 am.**

When they arrived at the store, Lestrade, Donovan, Anderson and some other cops were already there, doing their job, or according to Sherlock, compromising the integrity of the crime scene.

Lestrade approached Sherlock and John.

"You arrived here quite fast". – He looked at his watch.

"Slow morning" – John said. Except the morning hadn't been slow, just really boring according to Sherlock.

"Ok. The owner of the store, Jane Wiggins called this morning. Even though the store has an alarm which automatically notifies the police if someone tries to break in, the police received no notification at all, the alarm was disconnected. The door was still locked, but the side window was how the person got in. Something was used to cut the glass…".

Lestrade was walking them through his findings. When he looked up, Sherlock had already gone inside the store to see the scene by himself, leaving John behind to listen to Lestrade's explanation.

"Just do what you guys do". – Lestrade said leaving John to talk to Mrs. Wiggins.

Mrs. Wiggins seemed to be in her 40s. She was wearing a white blouse and a navy blue skirt, high heels, and of course, the whole nine yards when it came to jewelry. That was her business after all. She was also wearing flawless make up and had flawless hair. It was an uptown store.

Lestrade came back inside the store to see what Sherlock would find.

Sherlock was using his magnifying glass to observe the cut glass. The cut was shaped like a circle, big enough for a thin person to pass through without getting hurt; it even looked like one of those you see in cartoons. Even though there was a table right under the window, there was nothing out of place.

Sherlock then proceeded to the carpet and the glass balconies. He observed the cameras and went on checking the whole store.

"Female thief" – He said first.

Lestrade was used to surprises in the crime scene. He didn't even get shocked anymore.

"Yes, sure. And we know that because…." – He asked out of curiosity.

In this moment John entered the store and joined them.

"Shoeprint on the carpet. High heels, small size".

Sherlock put his magnifying glass away.

"The object used to cut the glass was very sharp and very precise. She made no mess as she entered the room, the table under the window is perfectly organized and nothing has been moved, she took her time. The alarm and the cameras were already off and there was no chance for her to be interrupted. She wanted to make an impression. There's a shoeprint on the carpet and no fingerprints anywhere. The shoe size is small and she was wearing high heels. Stylish shoes if you're thinking of breaking in. There's also one strand of brown hair one the floor, close to the shoeprint, just one, perfectly placed there. She didn't steal the diamonds but rather used them to write the letters CS on the glass balcony.

"There's no camera footage even though the camera is working normally right now. The images go blank from 2 till 3 am than back to normal." – Lestrade observed.

"This store has million pounds worth of products but she only took one object. A ruby necklace. Mrs. Wiggins said this necklace was worth 1.5 million ponds but there were way more expensive necklaces she could have taken". – That was what John learned from this conversation with the store owner.

"Why would someone be so careful to break in but leave so many clues behind"? – Lestrade asked Sherlock who was oblivious to anything else in this moment.

"Because it's a game". – Sherlock said as usual imagining people were following his train of thought.

"So you're saying the person wasn't sloppy, was all of this on purpose?" – John concluded.

Sherlock turned to John and Lestrade and started walking around the store as he explained what he had in mind about each clue.

"Ok! Female broke into uptown store. She was extremely careful about camera, alarm and with the glass window. The dust around the objects on this table under the window is intact which means she entered the store gracefully, didn't drop or move anything. She left a footprint but no fingerprints and a strand of brown hair right beside the print. It means she wasn't at all sloppy but intentionally left these clues. Then she signed her work of art with two letters written in diamonds on the glass balcony. Stylish, very stylish, she was showing off and took nothing more than just a ruby necklace clearly letting us know who she is".

"Oh, clearly". – Said John sarcastically.

Sherlock looked to John and Lestrade as a child on Christmas day expecting they would have understood the puzzle.

…. Silence in the room ….

John and Greg were still waiting for the grand finale.

"Carmen Sandiego". – Sherlock concluded looking all too excited about the new case.

"Who's that?" – Greg had no idea why he was supposed to know that name.

"Carmen Sandiego? Wasn't that a cartoon?" – John did remember watching a cartoon with this name.

"Yes! It was also a game. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego from 1985. You had to track down and chase her villains and then go after Carmen herself around the world. An investigation game with puzzles, warrants, trips. Their intention with this game was teaching geography".

"Ok fine, but how is this linked to the game at all?". – Greg was still confused.

"The dossier. You had access to the villain's dossiers. Carmen had brown hair and never went out in public without a ruby necklace".

"CS – Carmen Sandiego". – Now Greg got it.

"But Sherlock, there wasn't a real Carmen. It's just an invented character". – John pointed out.

"Yes, you saw the circle on the glass window. Just like the cartoons. But someone has brought her to life. Someone has just become Carmen".

Sherlock looked to the CS written in diamonds once again barely being able to contain his thrill.

"John. The chase …. is on"!

TBC?

Obs: Ok so the chapter is not as long as I wanted, but a little bit of suspense is needed lol!

Thanks for reading!


	2. Chap 2 - Understanding the game

**A/N - I don't own the show or the characters or any other shows, movies, games mentioned here.**

**Summary: A puzzle filled with clues. Clues that were left there on purpose. Clues that led Sherlock and John to a very unexpected thief. **

**Introduction:**

_Sometimes the clues seem to have a life of their own, they speak to me. Rather than what I know, is all about what they represent in each scenario. A room is a just a room, except when something happens. Then it's all about its embellishments. Thieves and killers make mistakes thus decorating rooms, bodies, cars. Everything can be analyzed; any detail can become that turning point when it comes to solving a puzzle. _

_Investigation is as much of an art as painting. _

**St. Barts Lab – Chapter 2 – Understanding the game. **

Sherlock was processing the clues left to him at the store, learning all he could about the strand of hair and the shoeprint with Molly's help. He had each evidence image in his mind, as if they were perfectly laid on a table. They made sense and at the same time he still couldn't put them all together to take the next step forward. He needed that click! That piece of information that would turn them all into just one thing, leading them to the next piece of that puzzle.

He had taken a sample from the carpet where he found the shoeprint to analyze with the microscope, where he could observe it thoroughly. Molly was doing chemical analyzes and John was doing something very important. They already had pulled DNA from the hair and sent it to the police; maybe they could find a match.

Sherlock heard the sound of a game he knew very well coming from John's laptop. He slightly raised his eyes from the sample being analyzed.

"You're playing Carmen Sandiego". – He stated.

John was truly focused on the game. "What?"

"Why are you playing the game?" – John then looked up from his computer screen.

"I'm uh…. I'm learning more about our case. I was reading the dossiers and now I'm playing it. Call it field work". – John said keeping a serious face. That was work too.

Sherlock just raised his eyebrows once and placed his attention back to the sample.

"The dirt you collected from the shoeprint contains silica, oxygen, iron, magnesium" – Said Molly as she came in the lab with some papers in her hands.

Sherlock looked at her for a moment with a frown and repeated her words without noticing it, than looked back to the sample that now started speaking to him. Molly knew he was on to something.

"Your suspect was heard talking in Swahili. Where is this language spoken?" – John asked still entertained with the game.

"Sorry, is that part of the case?" – Molly asked as she was confused. She had been busy with the analysis and didn't even notice that John had been playing the game.

"Nope." – Sherlock said simply. John scoffed.

"Field work. Learning about our little thief". – John didn't budge on his explanation.

"Alright. I think I know that one, it's …." – Molly said with a smile.

"Don't tell him. That would be cheating John. If you insist on saying this is field work then you need to figure it out on your own". – Sherlock said now looking away from his microscope as he began connecting the dots in his mind.

"I'd have to be really playing to be cheating, but I'm not, am I? I'm doing research". – John defended himself.

Molly rolled her eyes. Sometimes Sherlock and John could be worse than kids.

"Everybody shut up now, gotta think". – Sherlock said as he started seeing the components in his mind. He went through several different combinations that contained those components. He did his usual process, eliminating some options, visualizing formulas, putting the puzzle together.

With his eyes closed, he used his hands to bring images to an imaginary screen and discard other images. Molly and John knew already there was no use in talking to him as he was doing that.

A buzzing noise could be perfectly heard since the lab was completely silent.

"I think you're buzzing John" – Molly said as she noticed John was way too entertained with the game.

"What? Oh, yeah, thanks" – He placed his hand on his pocket and stepped outside the room to answer his phone. Molly just sat there observing Sherlock do his thing.

"Volcanic ash." – Sherlock said out loud looking satisfied.

"Ahh Molly, whoever this woman is, she's certainly done her homework well and she's clever. She's indicating the next place we need to go".

John walked back into the room.

"That was Lestrade. Said they found a match for the strand of brown hair. A woman named Merey del Flores. She is listed as wanted". – John informed putting his phone back inside his pocket, getting back to the laptop.

"Is this the woman pretending to be Carmen?" – Molly asked.

"I guess she could be, but she's been missing for a few years. The police wasn't able to catch her, she's wanted for theft and kidnapping". – John said staring at the computer screen trying to figure out where to go next. Sherlock was doing the same.

"She isn't the woman pretending to be Carmen. In the game you need to chase other villains first. She hasn't just left us clues to show us who she was. No, it was way more than that. She's left us clues to find our first villain! Merey! There's a Merey de la Rock in the dossier. She also has brown hair and has a taste for fancy jewelry. People confuse her with Carmen. We have a name, and we have a place".

"We have a place?" – John asked raising his eye brow.

"Volcanic ash! Moroni is the capital city of Comoros. It has an active volcano and it's the highest point in Comoros. Most times when the game gives you a clue about volcanoes, you go to Moroni".

"How many times did you play this game Sherlock?" – John asked crossing his arm in front of his chest. Sherlock frowned to his question.

"Just once. Why would I play more than once after finishing it? It's a rather simple game and the clues often repeat. Took me a few hours, the games were really slow back then".

"It took you a few hours because the game was slow…." – John repeated with sarcasm.

"Yeah, that's right. Now, if you're done playing, we have a plane to catch". – Sherlock said as he put on his coat.

"But I wanna know…." – John still hadn't figure out where to go with the clue he was given.

"Kigali John". – Molly simply answered. John actually looked surprised that Molly knew.

"How do you know that?"

"I played this game a lot. I still remember some things". – She said opening an innocent smile.

"Right. Thanks! I'll remember that". – John said as he closed his laptop.

"Let's go John!" – That was Sherlock, a very impatient Sherlock. John walked fast to catch up with him.

**Moroni – 8a.m – Airport**

Sherlock and John got off the plane and took their bags. Even before they had a chance to step on the street, they saw four men dressed in police uniform.

"Are they here for us?" – John asked.

"I suspect they are". – Sherlock confirmed. Given the cases he had already investigated, that wasn't exactly unusual.

One of the men raised his hand asking John and Sherlock to stop.

"Are you Sherlock Holmes and John Watson?" – The tallest man asked showing his badge.

"Yes, that's us" – John answered. "And you are?"

"I'm Michel. We're local police. I received instructions to meet both of you here, today, at this time and feed you some information".

"How did you know we'd be here?" – That was John's question.

"We didn't, but someone did". – Michel replied simply.

"Received instructions from whom?" – Sherlock asked frowning.

"I suspect you know who. I'm not in liberty to say her name, I was specifically told to use the word suspect and give you specific information as well". – Sherlock noticed by Michel's posture, hands and voice that he was very nervous and uncomfortable.

"Just like in the game. You go to the airport and they only use the word suspect and give you no more than 2 or three pieces of information". – John said feeling proud to know that, all because he played the game. It was field research after all.

"Ok, what's the information?" – Sherlock asked knowing he'd have to play by the suspect's rules.

Michel handed Sherlock a small black box, similar to those used in jewelry stores to put rings. It was small but sophisticated.

"One person has been kidnapped and that's your clue to know his profession and the place where he's being held. His name is Oliver and this is his home address. It's the only place you're allowed to look. You have 24 hours". – Michel concluded handing him a piece of paper containing the address.

"We have a couple of days in the game. Why just 24 hours?" – John asked the policeman.

"Because we can catch her right here if we crack this in 24 hours. Otherwise we lose her. She'll fly to another country". Sherlock said. If she had given him 24 hours that meant it was possible to solve the case in one day. Everything had been very logical so far.

"Why are you going along with this?" – John asked the Michel.

"I'm sorry. That's all I can tell you. Good luck to both of you". - Saying that they were about to turn around and leave.

"Hold on". – Sherlock said getting Michel's attention. "It's not the first time I investigate a case where I need to play by some rules. You're not in liberty to say the suspect's name but I do know who she is. In the game we only get a warrant after learning some characteristics from the suspect and typing them on the computer. The warrant is an important part of the game, I take we might need one. So, you can use her name and get me one if I give you the characteristics".

"You're right Mr. Holmes. It seems like you know how to play this game very well". – Michel replied surprised.

"Yes. Now, this woman has brown hair and a taste for expensive jewelry. She left us a strand of her hair, which allowed us to find a name. Merey del Flores. She's wanted and she is our suspect. I want a warrant sent to my hotel ASAP". – Sherlock said giving his back to the four men as he walked away. John shrugged and followed.

"Why would they go along with this?" – John repeated his question to Sherlock as they walked out of the airport.

"He was quite nervous. His posture indicated fear and he was breathing quite heavily, also chest breathing usually indicates anxiety; he had nervous hands and a shaky voice. We're certainly being observed." - Sherlock was more interested in the clue. It was always surprising how cases unfolded. That was the best part.

"This is getting better and better" – Sherlock said as he handed the paper to John and started carefully examining the box.

"Let's do this at the hotel Sherlock". – It wouldn't surprise John if Sherlock pulled his magnifying glass from the pocket and started working right there.

"Hum. Yeah, good idea". – He replied still looking at the box.

"Why don't I get our bags and call a cab?" – John told himself as he got no reply from Sherlock.

**Hotel.**

The hotel where they were was simple but comfortable; most important it had a good location.

Sherlock had brought some stuff and set up a portable lab on the dresser from their room in case he needed to do any kind of analysis. They'd visit Oliver's house later that day.

"That's a box from a jewelry store. Big enough for a ring or earrings maybe. Is there anything inside?" – John was also curious about this clue.

Before opening the box Sherlock preferred to check the external part of it.

"Officer Michel wasn't wearing any gloves as he gave it to me so I'm hoping there are no prints on it. It's in good condition, I don't see any signs of damage, but I do see something else". Sherlock was using his magnifying glass. He collected some really tiny particles from the surface of the box.

Sherlock handed the box to John and placed the sample under the microscope.

John was observing it closely too. He looked underneath it. "There's something written under the box". – He turned the box upside down.

"Think" – John read the word out loud.

The word had been written on a small white tag and glued under the box.

"Think, outside the box". – Sherlock said figuring out the little word game the suspect intended by putting the tag on the outside of the box. "Nice suggestion". – He concluded ironically. "It's just a joke".

"I smell something". – John said as he smelled the hand he had used to hold the box. "Weird, it reminds of…"

"A beach" – Sherlock finished John's phrase. – "Sea water. There are traces of salt and sand at the top of the box. That's what you smell". – Sherlock said looking in the microscope.

As the clues were presenting themselves in a particular order, it was time to see what was inside.

John opened the box. He frowned as he saw what was inside.

"What is it? A body part?" – Sherlock asked with his eyes wide opened.

"It's a coffee bean". – John answered turning the opened box towards Sherlock.

"You seem disappointed". – John observed Sherlock's expression go from expectation to a frown instantly.

"I'm a bit". – Sherlock admitted.

"So what does it mean?" – The coffee bean was a surprise to John too, who wasn't expecting a body part but not the bean either.

"I have a theory but I prefer checking his place first. With 24 hours on the clock there's no room for hasty conclusions. We can't afford to miss any pieces of this puzzle".

**Oliver's place **

The house was quite big for someone who might be or not living alone. It was not a simple house. The front garden seemed to have been made by a landscape professional. Door and windows were made of wood; the front porch was decorated with expensive vases and expensive chairs. Sherlock and John knocked on the door, as they didn't know if Oliver lived alone or not.

They knocked twice and waited a bit, but there was no reply whatsoever.

John started picking the lock and opened the door with no problems. He went in first with the gun in his hand, Sherlock followed.

"Hello? Anybody home? We were given this address". – He said out loud taking short steps in.

"Hello?" – He repeated as they entered the small house. "I guess there's no one". He put the gun back in his coat. "These houses usually have burglar alarm. Nothing went off, so the alarm mustn't be on". – John knew big expensive houses like that always had protection like alarms or cameras.

"It could mean he was kidnapped from here, and the alarm has been off since?" – John asked Sherlock looking for confirmation as they entered further in the house.

"Maybe". – There was still much of the house to see to be sure.

"Everything is really neat. Nothing is out of place". Sherlock added as he started slowly pacing the living room observing the smallest details.

"These people usually have employees to clean the house".

"Yes, but crimes scenes usually have something out of place". Sherlock didn't see any sign of struggle, the alarm off could indicate breaking in but so far, that was it.

They kept walking around. There was a small desk in a room that Oliver seemed to use for work. The desk was full of drawings.

"He's a jewelry designer". Sherlock said as he picked up one of his drawings to observe. It was the design of a golden necklace filled with stones.

"And it's not cheap design" – John concluded by the looks of the other designs.

A noise came from the living room. Sherlock and John exchanged looks maintaining the silence, someone was in the house. John picked his gun once more and they headed to the living room with careful steps.

They approached the door that led to the living room and took a look. They saw a man, on his knees dressed in casual clothes, searching through a drawer in the living room. He didn't notice he wasn't alone.

Sherlock and John took a step into the room making no noise.

"Get up slowly". – John said in a low voice pointing his gun to the man, who was taken by surprise.

He stood up with his hands in the air and looked towards Sherlock and John.

"Who are you?" – Sherlock asked taking a step forward.

"Who are _you_?" – The man asked back.

"We're the ones holding a gun. You go first". – Sherlock said placing his hands in the pockets of his coat.

"I'm Oliver's brother. Please, put the gun down". – The man said with a shaky voice.

"No one said anything about a brother". – John said still holding his gun.

"Well, I'm not as famous around here as Oliver. I don't make fancy stuff". – He said with resentment. "But I do wanna find him".

"Do you have any ID with you?" – Sherlock asked still maintaining a safe distance from the guy.

"Yes, I do. Please, let me just get my wallet". – He said making a gesture with his hand for John not to shoot as he placed the other hand inside his coat.

With a fast move, the man withdrew a gun from the coat and shot at them without a warning.

Sherlock and John ducked trying to avoid the bullet. John took a shot too, but missed him. The guy ran fast to the door still shooting as he ran.

Sherlock and John started chasing him with difficulty as they were taking cover as well.

"I hate when they do that". – John said putting his gun away to chase the guy.

The man got some advantage on the run and put his gun away in order to run faster.

TBC…

Just for fun! Given the clues Sherlock found by examining the box, where is Oliver being held? Can anyone guess?


	3. Sea water and a coffee bean leads to

**A/N - I don't own the show or the characters or any other shows, movies, games mentioned here.**

**Summary: A puzzle filled with clues. Clues that were left there on purpose. Clues that led Sherlock and John to a very unexpected thief. **

_Obs: Someone asked me if Jane Wiggins from my story had any relation to Bill Wiggins from S3. – No relation, I picked the name randomly. _

**Chapter 3**_\- _**Sea water and a coffee bean leads to ...**

**Introduction**

_Life is an interesting contrast of boredom and excitement. We all want to feel alive. In order to accomplish that, people might do all sorts of things, even though some may deny it. Some people do things they consider forbidden; the concept of forbidden keeps it interesting, some prefer to risk their lives with extreme sports. Others choose to become a criminal. There's nothing like adrenaline running through the veins. In the end, we want to avoid being bored at all cost; we want to feel something, anything._

Sherlock and John kept running after the man, who was by the way, quite fast and smart. He ran towards the street market, where he'd have more chances to blend in.

"He's going to the street market!" – John shouted as he tried to keep up with Sherlock.

"We're gonna lose him!" – Sherlock yelled as took a deep breath and picked up his pace.

Sherlock kept his eyes on the guy and just worried about keeping his speed no matter what. He couldn't afford to lose him as he still didn't know if the man was important to the case or not, he had no plans to lose the game. He ran fast bumping into the people on the street, pushing them aside.

"Sorry!" - John apologized as he passed by the people Sherlock had shoved. "Out of the way please!" – He shouted as he kept running not to lose Sherlock.

Still both of them quite loved the thrill of the chase.

The guy ran and looked over his shoulder every now and then to see how close they were to him. He was panting, his leg muscles were burning. Running wasn't something he was quite used to doing. "Come on!" – He whispered to himself.

Sherlock and John were panting too, however there was nothing better than adrenaline to keep the body going. People could do all sorts of things with adrenaline coursing through their body. Run more, survive extreme situations, lift heavy weights, endure pain. Maybe that was why many people got addicted to it.

The man approached a fruit tent and dropped it on the way in order to try to slow them down. Sherlock was a few steps behind him and jumped over it with no problem and just kept on running.

"Damn it"! – The man cursed as he saw Sherlock was still on his tail.

John wasn't quite as tall as Sherlock, as he tried to jump over it fast; he tripped and fell down hard.

The blending in strategy at the market had failed. As he kept running, he passed by a street full of buildings, therefore, full of alleys. He turned right towards a calm and narrow street, with no people, but many bins. He figured all those narrow streets would work to his advantage. Unfortunately for him, Sherlock wasn't far behind; he wouldn't be able to hide.

"You don't give up, do you?" – The man said to himself as he reached for his gun and took a few shots making another attempt to lose Sherlock.

Sherlock ducked behind one of the bins in order to shelter himself. That's when he looked back and noticed John wasn't with him.

"John?" – He shouted, but there was no reply. John was still at the market. However, he couldn't turn back now, his time was almost up and he wasn't going to let the man get away. When the shooting ceased Sherlock got up from the floor just in time to see the guy going around the corner and went after him.

John heard the gunshots and got back to his feet as quickly as he could. "Sherlock"?! – He shouted but he was not in sight. He continued running, following the trail of destruction left behind.

Sherlock was now extremely close; he jumped and grabbed the guy's jacket, throwing the guy and himself on the sidewalk.

The man's gun flew far from him as both of them fell hard on the floor. The man made a fist and tried hitting Sherlock's face. With quick reflexes, he dodged the punch. The man grabbed Sherlock's coat and tried to push him to the side and pin him down on the floor. Sherlock gave him time to follow through with the maneuver, as he was able to throw a punch first. The guy wasn't too shaken by it; he used his legs to kick Sherlock away from him. He made another fist and was just about to successfully punch Sherlock when another gunshot was heard.

"Step away from him and put your hands up" – John said still catching his breath. He had aimed his gun to the sky and gave a warning shot before pointing his gun to the man.

"Are you ok?" – He asked Sherlock, who just nodded confirming it as he was also catching his breath.

Sherlock walked to the man's gun that was lying on the street, picked it up and walked back, approaching him. With no ceremony or hesitation, Sherlock placed the gun on the man's forehead.

"Tell me who you are". – Sherlock said still panting. He had some blood on his lip and his whole body was sore, but in that moment he was barely feeling it.

"There are two guns on you now. Be a good boy and tell us everything". – John said as he directed his gun to the guy's crotch. They were running out of time. The man had no choice but to talk. The boys knew how to be persuasive.

"Alright! Alright. I'll tell you everything". – He said staring at John and Sherlock's gun. "I AM indeed Oliver's brother. My name's Sean. Look, I was broke, I had no choice! Oliver had a lot of money and he refused to help me when I needed. So this woman came by one day and offered me a lot of money and gave some instructions. What was I to do?" – He said in panic. He didn't know things would get that serious.

"Your brother is missing and we're on the clock. You know this little chase could cost us to lose her or even his life?" – John couldn't believe it was all about money, yet, he shouldn't really be surprised.

"Stupid. We're so stupid. This chase was part of the game all along wasn't it? You wouldn't be here spilling the beans if you she had instructed you otherwise, in fact, you wouldn't have come by the house at all". – That was Sherlock. Every piece so far had been carefully prepared.

Sean grinned feeling a bit less worried about them. Yes, he was part of it too.

"You got it. She gave me a little message to tell you as well" - Sean also seemed to be enjoying his role in the game.

Sherlock raised his eyebrows to the man. "Ok. What's the message?"

"_What's a chase without a chase? All games need a bit of a thrill, wouldn't you agree?_" – He said putting his hands down slowly.

"She's not wrong". – Apparently she knew a thing or two about Sherlock. The chase was not only about the running, but it'd also take time, bringing them close to the deadline. Excitement plus adrenaline.

"How could you? It's your brother!" – John was still firmly pointing the gun.

"You two are famous. I know you're gonna find him". – Oliver didn't seem at all concerned.

"Resentment between brothers, it's not like we don't understand that". – Sherlock said as he checked his watch. "You're right. I AM gonna find your brother. Still, you did help a wanted criminal".

"Jail. How does this part of the game sound to you?" – John was the one with a grin now.

"But don't worry, if money was your problem, I guarantee it'll be the least of your concerns in there". – Sherlock said as he put the gun away and reached for his phone to call Officer Michel.

"Sherlock, we don't have much time". – John said. They couldn't waste time waiting till the police came to pick him up.

"Do you mind pointing that gun elsewhere?" – Sean was feeling very uncomfortable. Both Sherlock and John glanced at him and ignored him.

"I know where they are". – Sherlock whispered so only John could hear. "Sea water and a coffee bean. Moroni's main economy comes from exportation by ship. There's a harbor in this city where they export coffee. That's where they're going to be. You stay here till the police come, I'll go".

"Hello?" – Sean insisted on getting their attention without success.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You might need back up and I might kill him before they come". – John knew himself and knew Sherlock usually needed back up.

Sherlock waved Sean's gun, which was still in his possession. "Got a gun, I'll be fine".

"Are you just gonna leave me here with him?" – Sean asked as Sherlock was about to leave.

"Yes, and I would suggest not pissing him off. He is a doctor and soldier, that means he can do a lot of damage with his gun and it wouldn't be an accident. Keep your mouth shut and the police might find you in one piece". – Sherlock ran to the harbor, leaving a concerned Sean alone with John.

**Moroni – Harbor.**

Sherlock arrived at the harbor. He scanned the place with his eyes. On the outside, everything seemed normal. There were some people finishing the work day, material being placed aboard ships, nothing out of the ordinary. The place was quite big though.

He went around and found a door. With the gun in his hand, he tried the knob. It was unlocked. Sherlock entered, taking careful steps in order not to make any noise.

He found himself in a corridor with dim lighting. The noise of people talking began to fade as he went further and further. There were some doors along the way. He tried one, it was locked. He tried another; it just seemed to be a storage room, full of bags with coffee and other products.

"Where could you be?" – Sherlock whispered to himself. Certainly nowhere near the storage rooms, it would attract too much attention. Oliver wasn't gone for long, but still, it had to be a quiet place.

"Maybe a disabled room". – He whispered to himself again. It could be either a place downstairs, upstairs or way back. Nothing close to the entrance. A room they wouldn't use as an office or to keep products.

Sherlock turned right and kept walking. Soon he was in front of a huge staircase going up. It looked old and it was a bit rusty too. Sherlock put one foot on the first step and tested it to see if it would hold. Despite the poor condition, it seemed to be sturdy.

He proceeded upstairs slowly, some of the steps were very fragile, by then he could hear no one talking, in fact that part of the harbor was really quiet and abandoned. The painting on the wall was old; the ceiling was filled with spider webs.

He checked his watch. If he had made a mistake, there was no time to fix it. It had to be there.

The stairs were higher than they looked at the beginning. A door waited for him at the top; a single door in a narrow, small corridor. Sherlock frowned.

"It's clean" – The door was totally clean. It stood out from the rest of the place. There was no dust or scratches on it. The paint was fresh and there was a word written on it with a different color of paint.

"Cói" – Sherlock whispered the painted word. It wasn't English. It seemed to be some kind of dialect. He had seen it before, but couldn't remember what it meant. He checked his watch again. It was time. He carefully turned the doorknob which had been left unlocked and opened the door.

The room where he found himself in was nothing like the rest of the harbor. The lights on the ceiling were new, as it was the decoration. It actually looked like a room from a palace. There were paintings hung on the wall, vintage furniture, and fancy red curtains on the windows matching a new carpet on the floor. All the things were of a good quality, nothing cheap. If someone had been brought to that room blindfolded, there was a very small chance the person would figure out it was the harbor.

He took a few steps further, observing the details of the place. But he didn't need to go much further to find what he was looking for. He immediately pointed his gun to Merey, who had been observing from the moment he stepped inside the place.

"Ah! Mr. Holmes! Finally. I knew you'd come right on time. Join us for some tea?" – Both Oliver and the woman were sitting at a fancy table, drinking tea. Oliver was well dressed, looking well and unharmed; Merey was wearing a black dress and had a smile on her face. She certainly didn't seem to be worried.

"Is this the other guest you mentioned? He's holding a gun" – He asked Merey with concern.

"Indeed it is". – She seemed pleased, not minding at all about the gun. "Please, join us for a cup of tea." – Merey insisted. Sherlock frowned. He wasn't really expecting this.

"Are you harmed?" – Sherlock asked Oliver before deciding his next move.

"Why would I be? I'm a bit uncomfortable about your gun though. And how do you know my name?" – He asked not knowing if he should be putting his hands up or just continue drinking his tea.

Sherlock noticed Oliver was completely clueless about the situation at hand. He had no idea he'd been kidnapped and probably didn't know the woman was a wanted thief. Surely he didn't know his brother was involved. Oliver had been an important part of the play, he just didn't know about his role.

"He doesn't even know, does he?". – Sherlock asked Merey as he took a few steps closer to the table.

"What don't I know?" – Oliver said as he looked at Merey, then at Sherlock. Both seemed to have information he didn't.

"You've been kidnapped" – Sherlock said simply, not taking his eyes off her for a second.

Oliver scoffed. "Kidnapped? Are you mad sir? This woman is a lady. She has ordered some of my finest work. You're surely mistaken". – He said in disbelief.

"We're just doing business and drinking tea". – She said pulling a chair for him to sit down.

"Is that so? You went through great length to stage this place and bring him here. It's quite a lot of trouble to go through". – Sherlock noticed some authentic paintings on the wall. The room could easily be inside a mansion. Even her clothes had been chosen to complete the idea. She was wearing expensive jewelry, a dress and shoes from a famous designer. Nothing was left to chance.

"You mean this?" – She said sarcastically looking around the place. "You don't honestly think I did it all by myself? The harbor employees helped. There's so much you can accomplish with money".

Oliver looked around the room. Could the man holding the gun be right? Was all of that just staging?

"Merey. Is this not your home? Is it true what he said?" – He asked in shock.

Merey rolled her eyes. "Please dear. I'm having an important conversation. Sit down and drink your tea". – She said pulling a gun from under the table and pointing it to Oliver. He swallowed hard and looked at Sherlock, who didn't seem to be alarmed by it.

"The police are on the way. The game is over". – Sherlock said maintaining his distance. He knew John would show up with the police eventually.

"No, the game has just begun".

"You've been missing for years, wanted for years. Why would you agree to play this game if you were sure I'd find you?"

"Don't you know already? I thought you of all people would have figured this out". – She said as she sipped her tea.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She isn't so different from you".

"The woman pretending to be Carmen Sandiego?" – Sherlock said with sarcasm. He knew nothing about her, not about the woman behind the character.

"Pretense can be very subjective. What I mean is that you and Carmen aren't so different, and she has come to life. What our mind believes becomes our reality".

The mind was a powerful thing. It could be a man's best friend or worst enemy. It all came down to how you used it. Lies could easily become real.

"That doesn't answer my question. You're going to go to jail and it'll be for a long time. You knew I was coming and could've tried to run. So I ask again. Why go along?"

In this moment, they heard a noise of footsteps just outside the door.

"Sorry Sherlock, but I think our time is up". – Merey said placing her gun on the table as an act of surrender. That exact same moment the door was kicked open and a swarm of men dressed in police uniform abruptly entered the room, making noise and pointing their guns at Merey, Sherlock and Oliver.

"Hands up everybody!" – One of them shouted. They had to secure the place first.

Oliver froze. By then he couldn't tell anymore if he was the victim or if he was in trouble. "Please, I didn't do anything. I didn't do anything!" – He whispered to himself as he placed his hands above his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Drop your gun!" – The man said to Sherlock. He put the gun down but remained calm.

Two policemen were pointing their guns at Merey, who stepped away from the table and put her hands up as well.

Officer Michel came in the room. "It's ok. That's Sherlock Holmes, he's working with us".

Then he walked to Merey. "Merey del Flores. You're under arrest for kidnapping and theft. You have the right to …" – Michel did the protocol speech as he cuffed her. Merey didn't resist at all.

He noticed Oliver was still with his hands up, clearly in shock. He approached Oliver making a gesture for him to lower his arms, showing things were under control.

"It's ok Oliver. You're safe now". – Michel said with a gentle voice.

Oliver looked at him with his eyes wide opened. "Ok? Nothing is ok. This man said I've been kidnapped. You just barge in here pointing these guns everywhere and this woman…! – He started to panic.

"Please, calm down" – Michel said placing a hand on Oliver's shoulder - "Someone bring the paramedic to check on him, he's going to faint!" – Michel noticed Oliver was shaking.

The policemen escorted Merey out of the place. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Holmes".

Things now seemed to be under control. Officer Michel approached Sherlock offering him a handshake. "Good job Mr. Holmes. Your reputation precedes you. No wonder everyone says you're the best".

"I know". – Sherlock replied as he turned his back to Michel, not shaking his hand. He still needed to talk to Oliver.

John arrived at the harbor just in time to see Merey being dragged out of there.

"John" – Merey said to get his attention. John stopped in front of her with his arms crossed. - "It's a shame we had no time to chat. But Oliver has a little something for the both of you". – She said with a smile as the policeman put her inside the car. John just raised his eyebrows, saying nothing. He entered the harbor to look for Sherlock.

He entered the staged room. "Wow. This place looks amazing". – He said to himself as he saw the ornaments, furniture and everything else. Sherlock was just a few steps ahead, talking to Oliver.

"She came by my house and introduced herself as a millionaire. She said she wanted unique jewelry, things no one else would have and offered me a lot of money. She invited me to her house but there was a condition". – Oliver was explaining how things went down. John approached them just in time to listen to his explanation.

"You had to be blindfolded". – Sherlock already had thought about that.

"Yes, indeed. She said the location was secret, due to her status in society. I agreed, of course. The idea she could be a criminal never crossed my mind".

"Why would it?" – Sherlock said rolling his eyes.

"Sherlock" – John whispered. The man was still in shock.

"She treated me very well. Not only that, she paid for my product and it wasn't cheap. In fact, there's one piece here meant for John and Sherlock". – Oliver said as opened a case that was placed on the floor and picked up a black box from it.

"Just outside, she did say you had something for us". – John said as he took the box in his hands and opened it with no ceremony.

"It's paid and she asked for some very specific things with this one".

"It's a necklace. Why a necklace? Why give it to us?" – John was a bit surprised.

"I don't know. She was very fond of them, with lots of gold and real stones, not cheap". – Oliver reaffirmed.

"This case started with a necklace. Why not finish it with one?" – Sherlock said, however he knew there was more to it. He got the box to take a closer look at the necklace.

In this moment, Officer Michel approached them.

"They'll take your statement now Oliver". – Officer Michel said pointing to another policeman.

"Sure". – Oliver turned to the boys and picked up his case from the floor. "Thank you, to the both of you".

Michel waited till Oliver was out of the room. "I'm afraid you won't be able to celebrate much. We received new instructions". – Michel said to Sherlock and John as he took his phone from the pocket.

"The next chase". – Sherlock said placing the necklace back in the box. "What is it?"

"We received this picture a few hours ago. It's a painting. The text only said all you need to know for your next trip is in this room, in your hands and in this painting".

TBC …


End file.
